


The Janus Idol

by Lord_Byron_Mudkippington



Category: Love Live! School Idol Festival ALL STARS (Video Game), ラブライブ! 虹ヶ咲学園スクールアイドル同好会 | Love Live! Nijigasaki Gakuen School Idol Doukoukai (Anime)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2020-10-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:40:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27122648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lord_Byron_Mudkippington/pseuds/Lord_Byron_Mudkippington
Summary: As the student council president, Nana Nakagawa keeps the school idol club running so that Setsuna Yuki and her friends can live out their dreams. However, being two different people can lead to issues when both worlds start crumbling down.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 38





	The Janus Idol

Nana Nakagawa sat at the desk of the student council president, fingers intertwined and her chin resting on her knuckles. Until yesterday, that desk had been hers, but she was no longer the student council president. Shioriko Mifune, a first year, had successfully campaigned against her. She had called an emergency vote and had come out victorious. Now Nana was sitting in her chair for the last time, her personal effects stacked neatly in a small box. 

She had wanted to win so badly, but not because she wanted to be the student council president. Unfortunately, Shioriko had been correct when she had called her out in the middle of their debate. She put everything she had into being a good president, but it wasn't where her passions laid. Idols were what she loved, and that was why she had to maintain her position. Otherwise, Shioriko would abolish the student idol club for good. She had tried so hard, using the strength of all her friends at her back, and in the end she had fallen short. She had failed, and the dreams of her friends laid in ashes in front of her. There was no one else she could blame but herself.

"Nakagawa?" She looked up, having not realized in her wallowing that Shioriko had entered the room. As always, she stood there with a proper, emotionless expression on her face. "As much as I understand how your defeat must be affecting you, I must ask that you gather your belongings and leave the student council office."

"My apologies." She put on a smile, standing up and gathering the box of her belongings. As she walked past Shioriko, she glanced at her, noticing that their eyes connected in that moment. However, there was no sign of emotion in Shioriko's eyes: no triumph or pity, nothing of the sort. They were as determined and distant as always. She had set out to achieve victory, and she had received it. No pomp or circumstance required.

Her smile vanished the moment she stepped out into the hallway and found it empty. The door closed behind her: she took one last peek through the little window and saw Shioriko's back as she walked towards the desk. Before she could reach it and turn around, Nana was already gone, walking down the hallway with the box bouncing in her arms.

With her somber expression and a box full of her possessions, it looked like she had just gotten fired. To her, it was worse than that. It was bad enough that she had lost her bid to continue being the student council president, but now the school idol club that Yuu had worked so hard to put back together would die before it could truly live again. When she had first seen Yuu, she had seen the shine of a girl who had fallen in love with school idols the first time she had laid eyes on them. It was like looking in a mirror. She had never wanted the first collapse of the idol club to be reflected on Yuu, however, but she no longer had the power to prevent it.

Her free period was almost over, so she ended up heading for the club room. Thankfully it was empty, so she was able to go inside unimpeded. The lights were off, which seemed rather fitting. She didn't bother turning them on: instead, she set her box down on the table and took a seat, sitting in the gloom and feeling sorry for herself. It wasn't often she did so, so it at least felt warranted.

She looked around the club room, at all the memories she had made in such a short time. The other nine girls had become close friends to her, ones that she had never expected to have when she originally kicked off her solo idol career. Setsuna Yuki was a lone idol, but the school idol club had changed that. Now, because of Nana Nakagawa's defeat, the wonderful memories that Setsuna Yuki had garnered were soon to be relegated to the dustbin of history.

The bell rang, cutting her sorrows short. She was too embarrassed to walk to class with her stuff in a box, so she put it on a shelf and left the room. Many students had already flooded the halls, which at least meant she wasn't noticed among the dozens and dozens of other girls. Still, surrounded by so many people, she felt like the loneliest girl in the world. She was such a failure...

* * *

She tried to eat dinner that night, but her stomach wasn't having it. Any bite of food that she tried to put in her mouth felt like it was going to come right back up as soon as she swallowed it. Every single thing she was anxious about had kept growing and growing in her mind, and by the time she had gotten home she had found it nearly impossible to concentrate on anything but self-pity.

As hard as she tried to keep it internal, she wasn't able to hide her troubles from her parents. "Is everything alright, dear? You've barely touched your dinner." She looked up at her mom, seeing the concern on her face. A quick glance showed her that her dad was feeling the same way. There was a lump quickly forming in her throat, threatening to choke off her words before she could speak them.

"I'm okay, mom. Just thinking about some things I need to work on at school." She wasn't evasive for no reason. If her parents found out she was no longer the student council president, they would be very disappointed. They were the kind of parents who let you know when they were pleased and when they were not. It put a lot of pressure on Nana to do everything perfectly, lest she feel her heart sink from her parents' disapproval.

"Ah, of course. Being the student council president is no easy task," her dad chimed in, setting down his fork. "There will always be things to do, but you will be much better equipped for your future than any other student at your school. Your mother and I are both so proud of you for being so diligent with your work and your studies." They both were looking at her with such pride in their eyes, and it made her want to burst into tears.

Thank you, mom, dad." She put on her smile and made herself continue to eat. It felt like she was dropping lead into her stomach, but she pushed past it to avoid creating any suspicion. The moment she had forced every bite on her plate down, she put her dishes away and excused herself so she could focus on student council activities. In reality, she just needed to get away from her parents and their misplaced happiness.

Her feet felt heavy as she dragged herself to her room, shutting the door and flopping face down onto her bed. Darkness consumed her, and she felt the hot sting of tears as she began to cry. Every ounce of anxiety and stress in her body was pressing down on her like a gigantic weight, and she no longer had the strength to push it off. 

After a couple minutes of uninterrupted crying, she eventually got herself back up into a sitting position. She wiped the tears from her eyes, her vision still blurry as she looked around her room. In times like these, she needed a good anime or manga to take her mind off the stress that was strangling her brain, at least for an hour. There was none of that in her room, though, at least physically. All of the literature on her shelves were of an academic quality, and the few DVDs were of artsy, critically-acclaimed movies.

She wasn't interested in any of that. Her interests laid within the warm embrace of idol culture, but that wasn't something that was allowed in her house. When it came to extracurricular activities, her parents were very strict about what she could and could not do. As successful adults and parents, they expected their daughter to follow in their footsteps. That meant she couldn't waste her time with such frivolities as anime, video games, and especially not school idols. It was why her precious anime DVDs and mangas were stored in secret in the idol club room, and it was why she had taken on a new identity to embrace her love of idols.

Setsuna Yuki... Everyone in the idol world believed her to be a real person. She was the mysterious idol from Nijigasaki High School who was never seen, but spoken of in awed, hushed whispers. As far as anyone knew, she was a school idol who was basically a professional at such a young age. Her stages were the locations she entered to host her concerts, and her fans were vast and appropriately fanatical. Everyone wanted to know more about the amazing idol known as Setsuna Yuki.

If only they knew she was just a disguise to hide Nana Nakagawa's idol activities. Her parents would never approve of her being an idol, and they would ban her from such activities if they knew. That was why she donned the disguise of Setsuna, so that no one - not even her own family - could find out the truth. Not even her own friends knew about it until she revealed the dual life she led. It surprised her how easily they all accepted it, but she knew others wouldn't be so kind.

She stood up and went to her vanity, sitting down and looking at herself in the mirror. In her reflection, she could see the idol Setsuna Yuki looking back at her. She was smiling, happy after finishing a show for her adoring fans. Knowing that so many people were watching her and cheering her on while she sang was what kept her smile alive. Being an idol meant bringing smiles to so many people, close friends and complete strangers alike.

How could she continue bringing smiles to people when she couldn't even smile herself? The vision of her idol persona vanished, and all she could see was her sad reality reflected back at her. She wasn't the famous mysterious idol of Nijigasaki anymore: she was just a sad, nerdy girl who would never be good enough to please her parents. Her hobbies weren't worth the effort and her best was no longer good enough. She just sat there and watched her reflection cry.

Eventually she got herself back on her feet, just to stumble back to bed. This time, she took her laptop and headphones with her. While she wasn't allowed to have physical evidence of the things she enjoyed, the internet gave her a near-infinite well to draw from. As long as she deleted her browsing history, she would be able to enjoy her favorite animes without her parents knowing. She didn't believe they snooped through her computer, but she wouldn't leave anything to chance.

However, even watching her favorite coping anime did little to add sunshine to her gloomy night. Her attentions were horribly distracted by everything weighing on her heart, and she ended up shutting things down before finishing one episode. An anime as good as that one deserved nothing less than her undivided attention, and she couldn't give it that. Instead, she closed her laptop, laid down on her back, and stared at the ceiling.

What was she supposed to do now? Being an idol gave her purpose, while being the student council president gave her direction. Now she had no direction, and would soon have no purpose either. She could continue being the mysterious solo idol everyone knew and loved, but it felt hollow knowing that she would be leaving her friends behind. It was her fault that they couldn't be idols anymore, so it wouldn't be fair for her to keep being one herself. She would need to retire her idol persona.

Covering her eyes, she wept freely yet again. Without her idol activities, she wasn't Setsuna Yuki. Without her role as student council president, it didn't feel like she was Nana Nakagawa either. She didn't know who she was anymore...

* * *

"We shouldn't give up!" Nana shouldn't have been surprised that Yuu was still holding on to optimism. At their next club meeting, it was more like a wake than a meeting. Everyone was lounging around, either at their meeting table or against the walls. Defeat was written all over their faces: even Kasumi, who always seemed to have a trick up her sleeve, was lying with her arms outstretched and her face pressed against the table. Only Kanata, who had decided to nap on the floor, head on her favorite pillow, looked anywhere close to okay. Well, her and Yuu.

"I don't think there's much we can do," Karin replied, her cheek in her hand as she shrugged her shoulders. "Shioriko took the student council president role from Setsuna, and she's hellbent on getting rid of us." Nana let her head hang, sick with guilt over her failure to protect the club she loved so much. Everyone else was in their own funk, and didn't seem to notice.

"Aughhh, she's such a jerk!" Kasumi suddenly came to life, nearly toppling her chair over as she threw up her hands in righteous gremlin fury. "She thinks she knows everything, but she doesn't! Idols do more for this world than she ever will!" She slowly settled down, crossing her arms and letting out an annoyed 'hmpf.' That got a nod from Karin, more for the anti-Shioriko sentiment than Kasumi's starstruck ideals of idols.

"She _has_ been helpful, though," Ai chimed in, though she didn't seem happy about what she was saying. "I've talked to quite a few girls who have been told to switch roles in their clubs, or even to other clubs. They didn't like it at first, but they seem to be adapting now. Each one told me it was thanks to Shioriko." She sighed softly, crossing a foot across the other.

"It doesn't seem fair. They're being told to not do something that they love..." Shizuku, sitting opposite of Kasumi, seemed troubled. Nana couldn't blame her, though: she felt the same way. She wanted her presidency to be about allowing the students to live their passions for the entirety of their time there. Shioriko was the complete opposite. "I just don't understand why the other students voted for her."

"It must have been rigged!" There were multiple groans around the room as Kasumi shouted out her conspiracy theory. "Of course! It makes no sense for anyone to vote for someone who wants to ban fun from the school. She must have stuffed the ballot box with votes for herself, and isn't _she_ the one who counts them anyway? Ughh, that's so annoying!" She slammed a fist on the table, eyes burning. "Why didn't _I_ think of that?!"

"It's my fault." Nana finally spoke up, getting the attention of the other girls. She didn't look at them for long, though, as she ducked her head to try and hide her shame. "I was supposed to save the idol club and I failed. After all the time you all spent trying to help me..." She felt like she was going to cry: tears were already pricking the corners of her eyes, trying to break free. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up in surprise to find Yuu standing next to her.

"You tried your best, Setsuna, and we all know that. It's not your fault." As she looked up, she could see the others all nodding in agreement. That made the tears start to fall, again seeing how amazing her friends were. She truly didn't deserve them. "We shouldn't give up, though! I don't want to lose this club. It's important to me, and I know it's important to all of you. There _has_ to be a way to change Shioriko's mind."

"I agree with Yuu." Ayumu stood up from her seat, going over to stand next to Yuu. "I know we're in trouble, and it doesn't seem like we can ever get through to Shioriko, but I don't think it's impossible. I love school idols, and I know that if she just sees how hard we're working, she'll feel the same way." As down as she was feeling, Nana couldn't help but smile. She was a bit jealous of Yuu for having a childhood friend who still went to bat for her all these years later.

"Yeah, I don't want to give up either. Being an idol is why I came here. We shouldn't give up now." Emma spoke up next, looking nervous but with the same amount of determination as Yuu and Ayumu had. One by one, the rest of the idol club came to an agreement, feeling the same way as their de facto leader. Even with everything seemingly falling apart, somehow Yuu had rallied the girls together. She sure was special.

"I'm sure we can do it." She spoke positively, and she really wanted to believe it. If anyone could inspire that hope, it would be Yuu. However, she couldn't escape the feeling of dread nestled in the pit of her stomach. Shioriko held different beliefs than she did, but she was steadfast in them all the same. She was a strong student council president, and she wouldn't let them sway her easily. Hopefully they all knew what they were getting into.

* * *

She was doing something that had become familiar to her: sitting in the club room and feeling sorry for herself. Despite the threat of their club being terminated, Yuu's strength kept them practicing just like they had before. All the while, Yuu was jotting in her notebook, ostensibly coming up with ways to sway the heart of Shioriko. It was nice to still have practice to put her focus on, but when there were days like this one, with no practice, she could only stay after school and mope.

It wasn't like she wanted to do that. If she had it her way, she'd be at home moping in her room. That wasn't an option, though. She didn't have a good explanation for her parents as to why she would be home early. As far as they were concerned, she was still the student council president. She couldn't give them any reason to think otherwise, so all she could do was sit there and feel sorry for herself.

"Setsuna?" She looked up to find Yuu and Ayumu at the door, neither of them having expected to find someone there. "What are you doing here? We aren't having practice today."

"I..." She sighed, realizing that while she didn't have an excuse for her parents should she go home, she also didn't have one for Yuu or Ayumu while she was there. "... can't go home yet." She pursed her lips, unsure of how much she wanted to admit to them. They were her friends, but she was used to carrying all of her burdens on her own. There was a reason Setsuna Yuki had been a mostly solo act: she knew she wouldn't bring anyone down when she was on her own.

Both of her friends were frowning, as her words were obviously in a negative tone. However, while Ayumu stood there worried, Yuu was clearly thinking of something. Was she able to see more than the vagaries Nana had given her? "Do you need to stay here?" She shook her head, wondering where Yuu was going with that line of thinking. "Why don't you come hang out with Ayumu and I?"

"Huh?" That threw her for a loop. Though she had known some of the idol club members for a while, she had never spent much time with them after school. She had certainly never gone to their houses before. Now Yuu was inviting her over like it was no big deal. "Are... Are you sure?"

"Of course!" Yuu smiled, then turned to Ayumu, who was also smiling. They seemed to both be in agreement that it was okay for her to join them. She couldn't think of a reason not to take them up on their offer. It would be nicer to spend time with friends than sit alone in the dark at school and think about what a failure she was.

"I appreciate that." She did her best to smile as she stood up and followed them out the door. While Yuu and Ayumu chatted with each other, she walked behind them silently. She was still trying to parse through her wayward thoughts, which had never been an easy task. All her wants, her desires... did they even matter anymore? Was this a sign from the Gods that going behind her parents' backs was a bad idea?

"Is everything alright, Setsuna?" She had been so deep in her funk that she hadn't realized that they were outside. She had just been following the two of them without paying attention, and now Ayumu was bringing up her concerns.

"I..." Her first instinct was to lie, but she knew it would be a weak one. Besides, they already knew that she blamed herself for the near-certain dissolution of the idol club. Even with Yuu's encouraging words, it was hard for her to get out of her own head on that count. "I just have a lot on my mind," she admitted, her steps ending up putting her side by side with Yuu and Ayumu.

"Is it about the club?" She nodded, knowing that it was obvious enough. "It's okay, Setsuna. None of us blame you for what happened. You did everything you could." She had, or at least she hoped she had. It didn't matter, though. Trying didn't matter when it led to failure. No one would remember that she had tried her best. All they would remember was that she had been beaten.

"If it's all the same to you, I think you should just call me Nana from now on." Any time she was with her fellow idols, she was dressed up in her idol alter ego. This time, Yuu and Ayumu got to see her as just Nana, with her glasses and side ponytail. They all referred to her as Setsuna, because that's what they knew her as. She was the famous, mysterious idol, not the simple, stressed-out student. At least, she used to be. "I think it's time for me to retire from being an idol."

"What?!" Yuu stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, forcing her and Ayumu to stop as well. "You're going to quit being an idol?!" Yuu stared at her in disbelief, eyes shining with hurt. It was as if she had committed a personal offense against her.

"I... I don't think it's right for me to continue being an idol when none of you are able to. I failed all of you, and it's not fair for me to continue on." She rubbed her arm, feeling increasingly awkward the longer her words hung in the air. Her eyes searched for anything else to look at that wasn't Yuu and her big, hurt eyes. It was like a puppy, and a cute puppy made anyone weak.

"Set- Nana, no one blames you for what happened. Nobody wants you to stop being an idol. You're our inspiration!" She looked back at Yuu, quirking an eyebrow at such a declaration. "You're already a popular idol, and you've shown all of us what it means to _be_ an idol. Without you, it would be more of a pipe dream than anything else." That made her laugh, since it was Yuu who had made their dreams a reality. There was nothing she had done to deserve such praise.

"I can't take credit for that. You all would have been fine without me." She started to walk forward, hoping that would get Yuu and Ayumu back in motion and quiet the conversation somewhat. While it did cause the two of them to start walking again, that wasn't the end of the conversation.

"That's not true! If we hadn't seen you performing, we would have never gone to the idol club that day." She had heard that story, having not originally known that the two of them had been at one of her concerts. Remembering when Yuu had brought it up brought warmth to her heart. An idol was supposed to bring smiles and hope to their audience, and she had done that that day. That specifically was not a failure.

"Thank you, Yuu." She smiled faintly as they stopped at a traffic light, watching the cars zoom by. "I don't want to stop being an idol. Singing the music I create, and seeing my fans cheering for me, it brings me happiness that nothing else can. It's what I've wanted to do for so long, but..." She sighed softly, exhaling as she saw the cars slow to a stop. The three of them started walking down the crosswalk. "I'm not supposed to be an idol."

"What do you mean?" Ayumu was the one to ask this time.

"My parents don't approve of that sort of thing. They want me to be focused on my studies and my student council work." She winced at the still-fresh wounds of her defeat, but she tried not to show it. "Stuff like idols and anime just isn't important to them." She wasn't sure if it was right to tell all that to them, even if they were her friends. It was something she always kept deep inside, never wanting anyone to know that it was resting heavily on her heart.

"Well that's not fair. It's important to you, right?" She knew that Yuu would think like that. They were both girls who felt that everyone should do what made them happy. Unfortunately, it couldn't always happen like that. Life had made that tragically clear.

"It doesn't matter. My parents have never approved of it. That's why the idol you know as Setsuna Yuki exists: because I can't let my parents know that I'm doing this. It all could have been okay if I still was the student council president, but I'm not anymore." She shook her head ruefully, her mind again being bombarded by thoughts of what she could have done differently. "Setsuna, Nana... I don't even know who I am anymore."

That bit of self-questioning seemed to bring the conversation to a screeching halt. She couldn't blame them from going silent: she wasn't exactly a shining beacon of hope that afternoon. Her hands suddenly felt like heavy weights at the end of her arms, and she desperately tried to find something to do with them. She fixed her glasses to the point that they constantly ended up crooked, and she kept fussing with her shirt collar. It likely just made her look a bit unhinged.

By the time they reached Yuu's place, she was just glad that there was something to distract her from trying to 'fix' every part of her outfit just for something to do. She followed the two of them up the stairs of the high-rise apartments their families lived in. Yuu went to one door, but Ayumu headed for the one next to it. "I'm gonna put my stuff away, okay?" She opened the door and went in, while Yuu unlocked the door in front of her and invited her in.

"Ah, the two of you are neighbors." That would explain why they were so close. They must have grown up together. It sounded nice to have a friend so close by. She had been thinking about it more ever since she met Yuu and Ayumu. In a way, she was jealous of how close they were. It made her wonder how things would have been had she had someone that close to confide in for the past few years.

"Mhm." Yuu smiled, leading Nana through the apartment and to her room. It wasn't surprising to see that it was brimming with idol merchandise. There were posters on the wall dedicated to such elite older school idol groups like A-Rise and Eine Kugel, and figures of several idols on top of her dresser. Yuu really went hard on her idol craze. It actually made her jealous seeing all of the merchandise out in the open. She wished that she could do that.

"You have a lot of idol merchandise." She mentioned the obvious, starting to circle the room so she could see everything. Her idol heart was beginning to race as she saw the awe-inspiring amount of stuff Yuu had obtained in such a short time. There were tiny figures of Eli Ayase and Mari Ohara bookending a row of idol CDs. There was Saint Snow, a popular school idol duo, and telltale heart, a very interesting choice. It was incredible. "Oh wow!" She ended up back at the dresser, where she noticed a pair of pink underwear hanging out from the mostly-closed drawer. "You have the official Nico Nico Nii branded underwear! I didn't know they were still in stock!"

"Hey, don't look at those!" Yuu was suddenly next to her, shoving the underwear in the drawer and slamming it shut. Her face was bright red, which was a look Nana couldn't remember ever seeing on her. It was cute, honestly. "You're not supposed to look at another girl's underwear, you know?"

"Is that a thing?" She rubbed her chin in thought, frowning slightly. "I've never heard of that." Thankfully for Yuu's embarrassment, Ayumu took that moment to come into the room, unencumbered by her school bag. Unfortunately for Yuu's embarrassment, Ayumu noticed the blush on her cheeks and the two of them standing next to the dresser. There was only one logical conclusion to make out of that.

"Did Nana see your Nico underwear?" Yuu's shoulders slumped as she groaned for a good ten seconds straight. Nana covered her mouth, trying to hide her laughter. She felt bad for Yuu, but the levity was something she really needed in that moment. Instead of being anxious and conflicted, she felt like her usual, idol-loving self. It was exciting to go around the room, look at all of Yuu's idol merchandise, and blather on energetically about idols.

Eventually, however, they ran out of things to talk about, and she found herself lying on Yuu's rug in the middle of the bedroom. Yuu and Ayumu were sitting on the bed together, and she looked at them upside down. The more they lapsed into silence, the more her worries started to crop up again. It made her audibly sigh, which was picked up on by her friends.

"Still worried?" Yuu asked. She didn't ask specifically _what_ Nana was worried about, but she didn't have to. The answer was yes, and the 'what' was everything. She nodded, closing her eyes and letting out another sigh. "I don't think you should give up on your idol dreams, Nana. The idol club isn't going anywhere." That got her attention. She sat up, turning to stare curiously at Yuu. Ayumu was doing the same.

"Yuu, Shioriko won't let the club continue." She didn't understand why Shioriko was so against the idol club, but she had the power to shut it down regardless of intentions. They could try to bring it up with the board of directors, but they tended to be hands off when it came to clubs. That was what the student council president was for.

"I know, but she just doesn't understand how much we love this club. We'll show her, and she'll have to back down." Yuu seemed so sure, and Ayumu was nodding along without any hesitation. The two of them really trusted each other, huh? Well, Yuu hadn't led her astray yet. She had brought the group together when they were at their lowest. If anyone could save them again, it was her.

"Well, if you think you can do it, then I'll follow right behind you. I don't want our idol club to die again." She smiled, but it faded quickly as she began thinking about other idol-related matters. "I'll probably have to tell my parents I'm no longer in the student council. I can only hide it from them for so long." Again she sighed, much deeper than before. Her shoulders felt heavy. "They won't let me be an idol anymore..."

"Do you want to be an idol?" Yuu leaned forward on the bed, her stare forcing Nana to pay attention to her. She was dead serious, her fingers grabbing onto the sheets tightly.

"Of course I do!" She sat up straight, staring right back at Yuu. "I love being a school idol! It's my passion! It's my everything! I don't want to be anything else but an idol!" It had been some months since she had been that fired up. When it came to idols, though, nothing stirred the pot of passion inside her more. "I just... My parents won't approve of it. They want me to be Nana, the perfect student council president. I want to be Setsuna, the popular idol, and I just don't know which of those girls is me." She covered her face with her hands, groaning into her palms.

"They aren't different people, though. They're both you, aren't they?" Ayumu came off of the bed, getting down on her knees and wrapping an arm around Nana's shoulders. "You're Nana, and you're also Setsuna. You don't need to hide who you are from yourself, or from your friends. We're all here to support you: the Setsuna part _and_ the Nana part."

"Thank you, Ayumu." She leaned against Ayumu's shoulder, allowing herself to be vulnerable for that moment. Ayumu was right: she was just one person. Setsuna was part of her, just like Nana was. It was difficult to remember that after so long keeping her two selves separate, but she had friends who cared for her regardless. She couldn't forget about the love she got from all of them, and the support they were giving her in this trying time. It was worse that she was still moping around by herself when she had nine other girls who wanted her to let them in. "And you too, Yuu. All of you... You mean more than I can ever explain."

"You don't have to. We know." Yuu joined them on the floor, wrapping her arms around both Nana and Ayumu. Ayumu followed suit, and the three of them were soon in a group hug, which brought an immediate smile to Nana's face. She wasn't sure when she started crying, but she didn't have room to brush away her tears. "If we hadn't seen you performing that day, we would have never known how amazing school idols were. The world still needs Setsuna to show them that, just like we all need Nana to keep us on the right path."

"She needs to keep Kasumi on the right path," Ayumu muttered, getting laughter from Yuu and Nana. They were right, though. Not just about the Kasumi part, but everything else too. She loved school idols, and idols in general, more than anything. It was what she wanted to do in life, rather than the boring 'important' jobs that her parents wanted her to do. Just like Yuu wanted to show Shioriko their passion, she would need to show her parents her own as well.

"Thank you, both of you. I know what I need to do now." It wasn't going to be easy, and she would probably still agonize about it for days to come. Her friends were being brave, though, and she needed to be too. This was her chance to stand up for what she loved. With the focus of Nana Nakagawa and the passion of Setsuna Yuki, she could do it!


End file.
